Small Words
by Zully Quirke
Summary: When Lee's given a top secret mission from the Hokage that sends him to Sand Village, he gladly accepts despite protests from his teammates. Unfortunately, Gaara isn't quite as thrilled as his wouldbe bodyguard. Chapter 2 Added!
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Small Words  
**Chapter:** 1?  
**Author:** Zully Quirke **Pairing:** Lee/Gaara  
**Chapter Rating:** PG  
**Warnings:** Eventual slash. Possible cursing. None in this chapter, though.  
**Summary:** When Lee's given a top secret mission from the Hokage that sends him to Sand Village, he gladly accepts despite protests from his teammates. Unfortunately, Gaara isn't quite as thrilled as his would-be bodyguard.

Lee was never one to allow a debt to remain unpaid. A real man never let a good deed go without recognition, and Gaara of the Sand had certainly done him a great service. He'd saved his life. Of course, one could argue that Gaara had simply offset the times before when he'd attempted to kill Lee, but Lee was not of that particular school of thought.

"He had no choice," TenTen explained to him an exasperated tone. "Sand Village and Leaf Village are allied countries. He _had_ to come and save us."

Lee was not so easily swayed. "Maybe," He shook his head, "But he didn't have to save _me_. He could've helped Shikamaru or Kiba instead, but despite our tumultuous past, he decided to help me out. I might've died without him!"

"Might have?" Neji smirked. "You were crippled and drunk."

Lee ignored the commentary with an indignant sniff. "So that's why I'm going."

TenTen groaned, pulling a hand back through her hair irritably. "You don't even know how long they'll keep you there! This is so stupid."

While it was certainly true that having your group broken up for the sake of a mission was unusual, it wasn't completely unheard of. Sometimes practicality demanded it, as in this case. Neji and TenTen were needed elsewhere now that Naruto and Sakura were away, and all that aside--

"I owe him my life," Lee said stubbornly. "He needs my help, and as an ally with a debt, it's not within me to refuse!"

Neji raised a curious eyebrow. "Lee... is this a mission? Did the Fifth assign you to this herself, or are you simply taking things into your own hands again?"

This clearly ruffled Lee's feathers. "Does it matter? Even if she hadn't assigned it to me, I'd gladly go! I'm honored that the Fifth would assign such an important task to me!" His fists bunched up at his sides, eyes shining and determined. "At such a young age, only just having passed my Chuunin exams to be given an opportunity to fully appreciate--"

"What .. is this task exactly, anyway?" TenTen interrupted quickly before Lee entered another one of his rants on the Springtime of Youth. _Why on earth would the Fifth send Lee alone to Sand Country? To complete a mission with Gaara no less? Surely she must know how difficult this situation will be, given their past! _

Lee sniffed again, rubbing his nose slightly. "They haven't told me yet."

"_What?_" TenTen exclaimed incredulously. "You're going in on this blind? Lee, you're a nice guy, but--"

Neji held up a hand, effectively silencing TenTen. "Lee. We have been a three man team for a long time now. I better than most know that when your mind is set on something, you'll never give it up." His mouth quirked upwards slightly. "Even if the task is impossible. There is no use in trying to dissuade you now." _You're not worth arguing with_, Neji thought with a snort. _It would be nothing more than a waste of air._ "You had better start off before it gets too dark," He added, eyeing the sun. "If you start now, you will manage to beat the midday heat tomorrow afternoon." Lee was fast, but even he would play victim to the desert's blazing sun. It would at least drain him, if not wear him out completely.

TenTen gaped at Neji, but was forced to silently agree. "Just.. write to us while you're there, would you?" She grumbled, casting Lee a worried glance. "Let us know you haven't been eaten by sand. Or Gaara," She added.

"TenTen!" Lee shouted, clearly appalled at the implication. "Gaara's not going to eat me! People don't eat other people," he said with a wink, shouldering his bag before taking off with a salute towards the horizon.

Sighing, TenTen pulled her arms up against her chest. "And that's what you don't get, Lee," She said quietly. "He _is_ a monster." Lee was too forgiving for his own good, always pining to see the best in people even if it meant ignoring past grievances. Past grievances that almost ruined Lee's life and dreams. TenTen knew his naivete was likely to be what got him killed in the end. She just hoped the Fifth knew what she was doing.

---

In truth, Lee had been considering making the run from Konoha to Sand Village in one go. He calculated that at his top speed with no rest, he should have been able to make the run in roughly two and a half days. Three if he encountered a sand storm.

But loathe as he was to admit it, Neji's advice had some merit. Morning struck in the country of Sand, and Lee could immediately feel the difference. Of course, he _could_ run it anyway, but it would have sapped his reserves. Reserves he might need for the mission as soon as he arrived, and therefore shouldn't waste on something as trivial as showing Neji up. He _would_ prove that he was better than Neji someday, but not when it might interfere with a mission.

So Lee ran during the nights and stopped to rest once the sun rose high enough for Lee to feel the beads of sweat against his forehead, arriving at Sand's Hidden Village five days after his departure instead of the previously estimated two and a half. Lee fought the urge to do a thousand laps around the village with no small amount of willpower.

The guards saw Lee approaching from a distance before he'd even arrived. The Fifth Hokage had informed them that Rock Lee would be the one assigned to this particular mission, and after an overview of his statistics and skills they were forced to agree that this man was likely to be best suited for the job.

The description of him they'd been provided with left no doubt in their minds that this was indeed Rock Lee approaching their gates at what had to be a record speed. Green spandex? Check. Bowl cut hair? Check. Impossibly thick eyebrows? Check. Odd looking orange leg warmers? Double check.

Lee halted somewhat breathlessly at the gate, grinning and giving the guards his best "nice guy" pose. "Rock Lee, ninja of Konoha reporting for duty! I will gladly dedicate my life to the Village of the Sand on this mission!"

Dramatic flare and overbearing sense of justice? Check.

One of the guards gave a short laugh, shaking his head. Were all the Konoha ninja this energetic? Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but the youth of Sand Village never seemed to have his sort of motivation. Perhaps with their new Kazekage, things would change.

That thought sobered the guard immediately. "Please, let us escort you to the main buildings," He said, stepping aside to allow the other guard to lead the way. "The Kazekage is waiting in his office for this mission's debriefing."

He swallowed. "This is, of course, a top secret mission. You may tell no one anything about it under any circumstance. All outgoing correspondence is to be first reviewed and approved by one of our inspection officers. No item without their seal will leave this village."

Lee nodded slowly. This was all fairly typical for a secret mission, or at least so Lee had been told. He'd never actually had one of his own before.

Sand Village's landscape was completely different from what he was used to. Wind whipped around the village, and would have made it near impossible to travel safely around the city were it not for an invisible barrier kept up to keep the village safe from the harsh winds and sand. He squinted at it carefully. Was that.. a chakra barrier? Putting up a barrier like that would be simple enough for a ninja with enough chakra to do it, but maintaining it continuously seemed near impossible.

Aside from the obvious visual differences, the village seemed much like any other. Smiling merchants sweeping their doorsteps, shouting out sales pitches for their various wares as children chased down the streets giggling and playing catch with small rubber balls. He smiled. Some things were the same in every village. Sand and Leaf weren't as different as people thought.

The first guard paused at the door, turning to look hesitantly towards the one at Lee's side. He gave him a curt nod, and the first guard took a deep breath and entered the room. Lee moved to follow, but a hand was placed on his shoulder to stop him before he took more than a step.

The guard's eyes were hesitant. "Be very, very careful here. The Kazekage hasn't been as... stable since his return. He hasn't said a word about what Akatsuki did to him, nor will he answer us when we ask. Be careful with what you say and how you say it, or you run the risk of setting him off." His face paled. "And trust me, you don't want that."

Lee's expression grew determined as he nodded, watching the guard step in front of him to announce his presence to the Kazekage. "Oh, and one more thing," the guard added sheepishly, "We.. haven't exactly told him about you yet."

---

Lee couldn't say he'd ever seen a more surprised expression on the face of Gaara of the Sand than he did right now. The guards weren't kidding; he'd had no idea that Lee was going to be here. And by the looks of things, he'd been kept as much in the dark on this as Lee had.

"Lee," Gaara said after several moments of silence, giving a curt nod of acknowledgement as everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. Clearly, Gaara had no plans to kill Lee on sight.

"Hi Gaara," Lee said cheerfully, taking a seat at the table beside him. There were others seated around the table, all official-looking, some even holding notebooks. They seemed nervous over something, though Lee wasn't quite sure what. "How've you been?"

Gaara considered the question for a moment. "I'm not sure," He answered at last. "Which seems to be a common occurrence now."

The advisers blanched. "Lord Gaara," the braver of the bunch spoke up at last, "As you can guess, we've contacted Konoha to assist with our current situation. After much review, both the Hokage and myself believe that Lee is best suited for this job."

Lee and Gaara both waited, but the advisor seemed to be waiting for one of them to say something. "And... what job is that?" Lee asked after a moment, coughing. "They wouldn't tell me before I left, said I had to get the debriefing from you." That earned him a quick glance from Gaara before the Kazekage's attention returned to the advisor in front of him.

"Right," The advisor was looking slightly nervous now, fiddling with his clipboard and flipping through it's pages. "Well, as we all know, since the -- ah, events with Akatsuki, Lord Gaara's power has been drastically lessened," His eyes flickered up towards Gaara's, whose expression remained closely guarded, "And both their attack and our defense of Konoha against Orochimaru have made our village targets." His eyes slid towards Lee's. "He has been hired as a.. bodyguard of sorts," He finished lamely.

Lee blinked as the silence settled in around them. He'd been.. hired to guard Gaara of the Sand? What an honor! Such an important job as guarding the Kazekage himself had been given to him, of all people in Konoha, hand-selected by the Hokage herself! His eyes shone with a brilliant pride. _Gai-sensei... I wish you could see me now!_

"You said Lee was best suited for this job. Why?" Gaara inclined his head towards the advisor, catching Lee's attention as well. It had been a question he'd been wondering himself -- not that he wasn't honored! But.. wouldn't someone like Neji be more suited for such a job? As much as he hated to admit it, Neji would have been much more practical in any number of political situations.

"You are known for your ninjutsu, Lord Gaara," He explained, "And it is also well known that once your sand barrier is overcome you rather easily succumb to physical attacks." He pushed thin wire frames up his nose with his index finger. "We suspect that if an attack or assassination attempt is made, it is likely that the attack will be physical. A form of taijutsu. And as Rock Lee is known as one of the top taijutsu experts in both Sand and Leaf villages..."

Gaara gave another curt nod. "I understand," He spoke quietly, though no one who ever heard Gaara of the Sand's voice would ever accuse him of sounding meek. There was a constant threatening undertone, one that rumbled dangerously beneath the surface. One that anything could set off at any time these days.

He turned to Lee slowly, taking him in as Lee fidgeted in his seat. He'd been oddly quiet throughout the ordeal, biting his lip under the advisement of the guards before he'd entered. The last thing he needed to do was ruin his first top secret mission the first night!

"So.. he is to be my babysitter," Gaara ground out, eyes rising to meet those of his advisers. "Without my consent, a bodyguard was hired. Tell me then, who gave you the authority to do such a thing?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, and suddenly the advisers were finding it quite difficult to speak.

"I did," A voice said from the doorway. Men quickly shuffled about to clear a visible pathway towards the voice, not one of them wanting to be the victim of Gaara's scathing gaze. Temari stepped forward, a brow raised and her arms crossed. "I was given temporary power while you were gone, little brother, and I have enough to approve of things like outside ninja recruitment. You gave it to me, remember?"

Gaara scowled, and everyone in the room save for Lee and Temari flinched. Temari was returning his gaze defiantly, and Lee was too busy trying to swallow everything that had just occurred.

"I accept," Lee said at last, interrupting the tense silence that had stretched between Temari and her brother.

"What?" One of the advisers managed to say, clearly having been so intent on avoiding Gaara's gaze that he'd actually stopped breathing for a moment.

"The mission," Lee reminded him, grinning broadly. "I accept it, and am honored to have been chosen to do so."

Gaara sighed and leaned back, arms crossed over his chest. Clearly he did not share Lee's enthusiasm. "Fine," He said at last. He'd accept the situation because he had to. He _was_ weakened, and were the situations reversed he would likely require someone to tend to his sibling's safety as well. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

The restless shifting on the other end of the table ceased at the succession, and the bolder of the group smiled. "Thank you, Lord Gaara. Lee." His attention returned to the latter of the two. "You must be tired. I'm told you actually ran here from Konoha directly?"

Again Gaara's eyes flickered over towards Lee, and Lee shifted slightly. "Ah, yes. But I did stop to rest during the day," He added when he saw a pair of eyebrows raise in concern. "So I'm not that tired, really."

A slow nod. "Let me show you where you will be staying, then. Your quarters will be next to Lord Gaara's, or as close as is possible for what should be obvious reasons."

"I'd like to familiarize myself as much with Gaara's schedule as possible," Lee said, a determined line set across his forehead. "Does he have a written schedule?"

There was a laugh at that. "No need," He said, waving his hand. "You'll be with him most hours of the day with very few exceptions. Basically, all you'll have to do is follow him around and keep an eye out for any would-be attackers. Simple enough."

Lee tilted his head. "What about training? Does he do any physical training to compensate for-- ah," He swallowed, eyes sliding back towards Gaara. "To strengthen his defenses?"

"No," Gaara answered for him firmly. His tone of voice indicated that someone had at least attempted to try and get Gaara to increase physical training and had failed at the argument, and that he was standing right here and perfectly able to answer questions regarding his own life, thank you very much.

Scratching at his head, Lee shuffled his feet a bit nervously. "I.. ah. I see. Well, I do training every day, though perhaps I could move my training to a time when Gaara is asleep--"

"It's fine," Gaara said, not looking directly at anyone in particular. "I don't sleep. Train when you need to. I will come and.. observe."

The advisor smiled, a tinge of nervousness twisting at the corner of his lips. "Well, I'll leave you two to it, then. I'm sure you'll work well together!"

He closed the door quickly behind him before Gaara's heated gaze could burn a hole through it and singe his (very expensive) robes. The Kazekage may have agreed to this, but he was obviously none too pleased with the necessity.

"But--!" Lee stared after the door and frowned, a hand suspended in the air before dropping listlessly at it's side.

Gaara turned slowly towards Lee. "… what?"

Sighing, Lee shifted his bag slightly. "I thought he said he was going to show me where I could put my stuff… ?" He trailed off helplessly, turning questioningly towards Gaara.

This time it was Gaara's turn to sigh. "Follow me," He said curtly, exiting through the same door his advisors had previously. When you want something done right…


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Small Words  
**Chapter: **2?  
**Author:** Zully Quirke Lee/Gaara  
**Chapter Rating:** PG  
**Warnings:** Eventual slash. Possible cursing. None in this chapter, though.  
**Summary:** When Lee's given a top secret mission from the Hokage that sends him to Sand Village, he gladly accepts despite protests from his teammates. Unfortunately, Gaara isn't quite as thrilled as his would-be bodyguard.  
**Author's Note:** To those who commented about enjoying long chapters, ask and ye shall receive! This one's a bit longer than the first chapter, though I promise that wasn't intentional. Also, I've found that it's more difficult for me to write Gaara than it is to write Lee. It must be my inner Azure Beast. :D I'm going to try to update every Wednesday, which gives me time to ponder over and write even Gaara dialogue with enough time to review and nitpick over things I think sound stupid a day or so later. Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, guys! Enjoy!

Gaara's eyes slid back towards Lee, who was following amiably behind him as they made their way down the vast corridors of the Village of the Sand's headquarters. The place could be somewhat confusing to someone not familiar with it; the corridors wound about in spiral shaped patterns, a defensive maneuver built in by the Sand's architects. The longer it took an enemy to find the Kazekage's headquarters, the longer he had to build an offensive. Or escape, if need be. Hopefully Lee would prove intelligent enough to master them soon enough.

He was upset, though not at Lee himself. Lee was one of the sole people he had a somewhat positive impression of, though he certainly didn't think as high of him as he did of Naruto. If Gaara had to name one person as a friend he would have cautiously given Naruto the title, and even then he'd be hesitant to do so. Lee, though, was a decent person. He fought well, was strong. He managed to not only survive Gaara's attacks, but heal from them despite serious injury. He was a ninja worthy of respect.

Little things about him during their debriefing had caught Gaara's eye. Most people would have chosen to travel by horse over such a distance, especially when assigned a "critical" mission. It was faster than walking, after all. Lee had chosen to run. What kind of man did this make him? Either one that was quite sure of his abilities, or an idiot. Gaara knew from experience how fast Lee could move, but maintaining it over the course of several days was another matter entirely.

No, it hadn't been Lee that had upset him; it was mostly the fact that he was required in the first place. Gaara wasn't used to being weak. People typically cowered in fear at the mere sight of him, and to some extent that was still true. But now he was all bark and very little bite, he thought grimly. If he were cornered in a fight the most he could hope to do is defend himself. Fists clenched silently at either side of him. He had to work on rebuilding his ninjutsu skills. He wouldn't let that stupid, comical excuse for a raccoon ruin his life, especially when it wasn't even here anymore.

"Ahm... Gaara?" Lee asked tentatively.

".. what?"

"I just thought of something," He said with a frown, licking at his lower lip. "You said you don't sleep so it's pointless for me to just train at night, right?"

Gaara gave a short nod.

"But... you only didn't sleep at night before because Shuukaku would take over if you did, right? And now that he's gone..." Lee's large brows furrowed between his eyes. "Why can't you sleep?"

No one had asked him that yet, Gaara thought as he turned his head back towards Lee. People were afraid to ask him questions, especially about Shuukaku. Especially after what happened with Akatsuki. Lee, however, did not seem to have this fear. He examined the man a bit closer, taking note of his fidgety movements and the way he chewed lightly at his lower lip. The creases on his forehead. He had seen this before, only tainted with fear. Was he.. nervous?

"I can," Gaara turned forward once more. "I choose not to."

The furrow between Lee's brow's deepened. "Why? Surely you need rest to--"

"I refuse to let that monster dictate changes in my life," Gaara interrupted sternly, fists clenching once more. "When I choose to sleep, it will be because I choose to sleep. Not because I am required to through is absence."

Lee's eyes widened at that. "You mean you haven't slept since Shuukaku left? Gaara, how long have you been back?"

"Don't be an idiot," He ground out. "I have slept. As much as I did when the monster was still living inside me. And even that is none of your business."

They stopped abruptly in front of a door towards the end of the corridor. Gaara produced a key from his pocket and handed it to Lee. "This will be your room. Mine is down the hall," He indicated the opposite end of the corridor, not twenty feet away. "Put your things away. Then come to my room and we will... discuss this new arrangement."

He didn't wait for Lee to reply, comment or argue. Gaara turned and left Lee blinking down at the key in the palm of his hand and headed towards his own room. If the door seemed to slam a little harder than it should have, Gaara was certain it could be attributed to the wind.

----

Gaara had begun to wonder if Lee had managed to get lost already when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," He commanded, and the door swung obediently open. Gaara didn't look up. He didn't need to.

"The room is very nice!" Lee complimented immediately. "It has it's own toilet even! I have never stayed in a room that nice before!"

Raising an eyebrow, Gaara said nothing. The room wasn't that extravagant, though it was true that it was nicer than the rooms most of the shinobi had. After all, the room was traditionally reserved for the Kazekage's second in command. Several things occurred to Gaara then; that he had no idea if the quarters in Leaf and Sand village were similar, what sort of quarters Lee resided in on a regular basis, and that he was genuinely curious about all of these things. _... hn._ He thought. _I suppose then that I should.. ask him about them?_ Though Naruto had started him down the path towards human interaction rather forcefully, Gaara had found that stumbling along it himself was the most difficult part.

"... is it?" He asked slowly, after several moments of silence.

Lee didn't seem to notice Gaara's slight uncertainty and nodded emphatically. "The shinobi's apartments in Leaf village aren't nearly that big! Well, I mean, you can _purchase_ bigger ones, but I'm only just now a Chuunin so I'm nowhere near a level where--" Lee bit his lower lip abruptly and scratched at his head, laughing a little as a faint color brushed across his cheeks. "Sorry. I just-- well, should we get started with your day, then? I'll just follow behind you as you do what you normally do what you do every day. You won't even know I'm here."

Apparently it wouldn't take much for Gaara to hold a conversation with Lee, he noted. The man could take a two word reply and run off with it. This would be useful if he and Lee were to get along, as Gaara was not infamous for being terribly verbose. He seemed a bit embarrassed by his speaking, though, which is something that Gaara didn't quite understand. No matter for now, he thought, as he waved the thought away with a mental gesture. He would grow more accustomed to this arrangement with time, as would Gaara. Or he would not, and would be sent back to Leaf village. In either case, things would work themselves out in that regard.

Somehow, for all that he believed Lee to be a sincere and straightforward person, he doubted his last assessment of his own stealth.

"I have a meeting," Gaara swung the gourd carefully over his shoulder, carefully checking the strap that held it in place. "It will be long. We should eat now." He glanced out of his window, squinting at the sun. "It is nearly noon. The meeting will not conclude until four at the earliest." He turned back to Lee who, much to his surprise, was grinning. At him. Gaara's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Nothing really," Lee put his hand on his hip, still grinning. "My rival and teammate, Neji, does that a lot." Gaara stared blankly at Lee. "Stares at the sun to figure out what time it is," Lee elaborated, waving a hand towards Gaara's window. "You just reminded me of him is all."

The furrow in Gaara's brow deepened. "Is that good?" He was fairly certain that he'd never been compared to another person before. He remembered who Hyuuga Neji was, and if he recalled properly, Lee was not overly fond of the man. And rivals usually meant enemies.

Lee laughed, inwardly startling Gaara. "I guess! It's familiar, so in that way I guess it's good." He gave a firm nod. "Finding reminders of your home in foreign lands can make them seem less foreign. Gai-sensei taught me that!" His face fell slightly at that last comment. Lee was overly fond of his instructor, Gaara recalled, and he seemed to return the emotion. Perhaps he missed him.

But there was truth to the statement, so Gaara nodded slowly. Having nothing more to say on the subject, he walked out the front door, pausing to make sure Lee understood to follow. The corridors were confusing, and though Lee was a fast learner, this was his first time to the conference room. The last thing Gaara needed today was to be hounded by his sister for losing Lee on their first day.

----

Food was brought to a room adjacent to Gaara's office; the room he typically ate in. Of course he typically ate alone, and his cooks were far too pleased for Gaara's comfort to be making food for the both of them. Lee had ordered plain curry, indicating that he had brought his own seasoning packet from some friends of his back in Leaf village. The cook had agreed, but on the sole condition that he be allowed to examine the packet first. Whether this was to verify that it's contents weren't harmful to the Kazekage or to examine the recipe itself, Gaara wasn't sure.

He took a whiff of the packet's contents and pulled back with a cough, eyes watering as he fanned the air in front of his face. "It'll make a grown man cry," He sniffed, "But it won't kill you. 'cept maybe make your stomach melt," He added with a grin.

Lee gave one of his trademark smiles, teeth glistening with an abnormal sheen. Gaara idly wondered if he lacquered his teeth in the morning. "It's a special curry mix! Very good for the active body! I eat it as often as I can!" He gave the chef a thumbs up, and the chef laughed.

"If you say so," He shook his head. "Good luck with it, and try not to kill yourself." He gave Lee a wink. "The name's Tetsu. If you or Lord Gaara need anything, feel free to give me a holler."

Tetsu. Gaara hadn't known his name before, despite having been here for nearly three years now. Lee had learned it in a matter of minutes. He squinted down at his own bowl. It had simply never occurred to him to ask.

Lee was happily pouring his curry mix into his bowl when he caught Gaara's eye. He tilted his head. "Oi, Gaara. Something wrong?"

_I crushed your bones_ , he thought. _I turned them into splintery pulp, and mourned that I couldn't finish the job. I look oddly at my meal, and you show concern._ The man was far too trusting of Gaara. More trusting than Gaara was of himself.

He shook his head. "No," He managed. "Just thinking."

Half expecting Lee to prod him further, he was a bit surprised when Lee just nodded. "Mealtime is sometimes the only time we get to ourselves. And not even that sometimes," He added somewhat apologetically. "I think a lot when I eat too!"

Curiosity got the better of him. "What about?"

Lee stirred the mix in with his chopsticks. "Hmm. Well, sometimes I think about training. What exersizes are best suited for upcoming missions, what areas I've been too lax on myself in. Sometimes about Gai-sensei's teachings. Sometimes about—" Lee cut off then, and Gaara turned his squinting gaze from his bowl to Lee. Laughing a little, Lee shook his head. "It's not important. Anyway, sometimes thinking outloud can be even more helpful."

Thinking outloud? "Explain."

"Sometimes you might get stumped on a thought, so talking outloud can help you sort of.. walk through it. And if another person's there, they can help you work it out too. They might have different ideas because they come from different points of view and experiences, so you're not just limited to your own mind." He tapped his forehead. "You know, get a different perspective on it all!"

"… hn," Was all Gaara said, turning back towards his bowl. The liquid inside was dark, and the two leekes floating towards the top suddenly reminded him of Lee's huge eyebrows. He set down his chopsticks and pushed his bowl away.

Lee frowned. "Not hungry?" He asked, mouth half full himself.

Gaara shook his head. "I am. I don't want miso right now." He frowned as soon as the words left his mouth. Gaara always had miso for lunch; it's why the chef hadn't needed to ask him what he wanted. He liked the salty flavor of it, and it was light enough that it didn't cause his stomach problems later towards the afternoon.

"Then try something else," Lee looked down at his bowl, then grinned and held it out towards Gaara. "Want to try some of my curry? It's really good!"

Gaara had never had anything extraordinarily spicy. Most of his food was bland, or if it had anything flavorful to it at all, it was a salty tang or a traditional teriyaki taste to it. He knew the Sand village was renound for it's spicy foods, but Gaara had never much concerned himself with food before. It was something that he consumed, fuel. Nothing more. Then why hadn't he been content with the miso?

He peered over at the bowl, eyeing it curiously before looking back up at Lee. Something in his eyes made Gaara want to try the curry. It wasn't trust, but something close to it. Lee gave off an aura of.. good? He wasn't trying to do anything but help, and Gaara had an inkling as to at least one of the unspecified reasons for hiring Lee specifically. If this man ever betrayed them, his face would betray him in seconds. He was no good at hiding.

Taking the chopsticks that were offered to him, he slowly scooped up the reddened kernels and took a bite.

It was… spicy.

_Very_ spicy.

Gaara liked it.

"It's good," Gaara said after a moment. He'd never eaten anything like this before. He took another bite, this time less cautious. Lee grinned and watched as Gaara devoured the bowl, placing it down by his still full bowl of miso.

"Glad you liked it," Lee stood and placed his hands on his hips. "It's a special invigorating curry! Guaranteed to give you energy and stamina to get through the worst of days! If you like it too, Gaara, I'll make sure to bring some more next time I go home."

Gaara simply nodded, embarrassed for a reason he couldn't identify as he stood as well. He had a meeting to get to, though he had a sneaking suspicion that his mind would be more on spices than tarrifs.

---

The meeting was predictably boring. The head of a local clan had brought up some issues regarding land taxes, and was also petitioning to have parts of the road repaired. Apparently there had been multiple issues with potholes causing wagons to break, and merchants were having a difficult time keeping looters from helping themselves while they attempted to fix the wheel. There were even suspicions that the holes were being created on purpose for just such a reason.

His father had been an idiot during his reign as the Kazekage. He was an unflinching military leader, but he paid little attention to things like this. It made his followers respect him, certainly, but they feared him as well. Of course, they all feared Gaara as well. The difference between he and his father was that Gaara would prove to them all that he wasn't the monster his father made him into. And now that shuukaku had been removed, the villagers seemed more willing to accept this.

Gaara ordered a few men to be dispatched to the area to see about repairing the holes, and also ordered them to keep an eye on the area, while hidden, to make sure the road damage was due to natural wear. If it was the cause of a bandit group, they needed to be dealt with immediately and publicly.

There were also several petitioners in regards to land boundaries, import tariffs and one lady inquiring as to the ownership of a pig that kept wandering into her yard. All in all, a fairly ordinary session. Not his favorite part of the week, but one that was easy enough to handle.

Much to his surprise, when the meeting ended Lee was not only awake, but appeared to be paying very close attention to what was being said. After the chambers had been vacated, Gaara let out a small sigh and slouched against the back of his chair. Were it not for the curry earlier, he might have actually drifted off today. Whether it was was "invigorating" Gaara wasn't sure, but the residual spice on his tongue was certainly keeping him awake.

Lee blinked. "I.. thought you didn't get tired?" He asked.

Gaara's eyes snapped over towards his, but apparently Lee _wasn't_ being sarcastic as he'd expected. He frowned again. Lee was developing a terrible pattern of making zero sense. "I don't sleep often," He corrected. "These meetings are exhausting."

"Then.. sleep? Er, rest?" Lee corrected quickly.

"No time," Gaara shook his head. "I only have an hour until I have to get to my desk work." Though the fresh air would be nice, Gaara thought. And it might get his mind off of work long enough for him to actually be able to accomplish something when he returned to his office.

"Do you mind if we go outside to train for an hour, then?" Lee asked somewhat sheepishly before Gaara could suggest it. "I feel like I've been neglecting it for the last few days."

If Gaara had eyebrows, one would have raised at that. He would have argued that running nearly nonstop for several days must constitute as training. But then, Lee seemed somewhat crazed when it came to training. Which was saying a lot, coming from Gaara of the Sand.

He nodded. "I will show you where the training grounds are."

----

Gaara had seen his fellow ninja train before on several occasions. He'd even trained with them, until he decided it wasn't worth the bother. Anything that tried to hurt him would be blocked by the sand, he knew. In retrospect, not the brightest move he'd ever made.

He'd never seen anything like what Lee put himself through as "training."

"If I don't do three hundred kicks, I'll do four hundred push ups while standing on my hands!" Lee promised himself aloud, starting to work up a decent sweat. His training had caused him to be quite efficiently built, Gaara observed. He was well muscled just about everywhere one could get muscles. He was evenly concentrated in mass, able to lift heavy objects, push, pull, and as Gaara knew from experience, run, hit and dodge with deadly accuracy. His physical training had served him quite well.

Lee glanced over at Gaara, who quickly looked away. He wasn't sure why the idea of Lee noticing Gaara watching him made him uncomfortable, but it did. Lee smiled. "Hey, Gaara. Can you help me hold this log in place?" He laughed a little. "I kind of seem to have... uhm." He motioned towards the log, which had by now been thoroughly uprooted. "Don't worry, I won't hit you," He assured Gaara.

Gaara wasn't worried about Lee hitting him. As he had observed earlier, the man was almost unrivalled in accuracy. And he was asking for his assistance in his training. Was this some sort of plot to get him to train? Had his advisers put him up to this?

The look on Lee's face confirmed what Gaara had suspected earlier. There was nothing on his face except pleasant determination. His chest heaved as he took shallow breaths, skin glistening with sweat, eyes bright and focused. Lee wasn't capable of ulterior motives. Or if he was, he was the best ninja Gaara had ever met.

"... all right," Gaara agreed, moving slowly towards the middle of the field where Lee stood. He would do it, though he would remain cautious. He would not be manipulated into something he already said he would have no part in, no matter how much he was growing to trust Lee's motives.

Lee seemed unaware of his suspicion, and simply grinned gratefully. "Thanks! I'm only twenty kicks short, and I'm not sure we'd have time for all my push ups."

As he held the log in place, Gaara contemplated this. "Why?" He asked after a moment.

Lee stopped and squinted over at him, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. "Well, you said we had an hour before you had to be in your office, right? And I'm pretty sure that it'll take me longer than—"

"No," Gaara interrupted. "Why do you do.. this? Set difficult and sometimes impossible goals for yourself and then punish yourself when you inevitably fail?" Some things just weren't possible, Gaara knew. He'd once thought of himself as invincible, untouchable. He'd paid dearly for that. If Lee was convinced that he could do anything then he was dangerous to have as a bodyguard. Someone overly cocky could get them both killed. But moreover, Gaara was just plain curious.

Finishing his last kick, Lee grinned and tossed himself abruptly on the ground, legs sprawled out and chest heaving. "You never know your own limits unless you try to push past them," Lee answered, inclining his head slightly at Gaara. "Or what you can survive if you don't try. And besides," He stood slowly, brushing his hands off on green spandex as he did so, "I never break a promise, even if it's only to myself."

Lee was a very strange man, Gaara thought to himself as they headed back towards their appropriate rooms to clean up. Very strange, but not entirely unpleasant.


End file.
